How Much Of A Cat Walk Do You Really Need

I mentioned how wide my side decks are only to indicate that they can be a lot narrower than one might imagine and its still easy to move fore and aft to deal with dock lines (the original question). I totally agree that wider is better!

I suggest you do some experiments to see what YOU can live with. Set up a "prototype" using whatever is lying around: some chairs and a fence perhaps. How narrow can it be such that YOU can stroll around carrying what you want?

I've done this, and I use the cabin tumblehome to allow the side decks to be narrower (I'm designing to very narrow beam, trying for under 7 feet, so every inch matters to me).

I suggest you do the same with the pilothouse. I've done so, and I find I can arrange everything I want in a pilot house that is 6 feet wide and 8 feet long (I intend to also use it for dining, that's what drives the length). Its tight, but in my case, it all fits properly for my needs. We've even had dinner parties within the test area to make sure it really works for us!

I also agree with you about keeping it narrow. Not just for efficiency, but also for motion: a wider boat rolls faster, and that's uncomfortable. Most motions are uncomfortable due to rate, not amplitude.

 

For comparison, I wanted to be able to go foward and also be somewhat free of the slight overhang for the top. This is very accessible for me and what I have in my walk around. The aft end of the cabin is 12 inches and the foward is 15 at the foward windows with 14 inches at the bulwalks.

 

Bos, The place is split 60/40 but even the 40% that don't carry don't mind guns. Around Cooper Landing there are hundreds of miles of hiking trails and it's not at all unusual to see the farthest left "Ghandi", vegan, "Stop the Wolf Hunt" types with a 12 gauge on their shoulder up there. People will make fun of non-natives for having it in the window when it's not hunting season. Natives get fresh meat year-'round and nobody batts an eye. I think you get arrested for NOT having some guns on your boat but you have to first get by Canadian customs - they like guns a lot and only let long-guns thru (I think they don't have any more room in their collections so only confiscate sidearms and black guns.
Sorry for the tangent to those who don't care about this but he asked!

 

On that size boat it probably won't be you running fore and aft, but someone else, like the wifeypoo. You might want to design to her happiness. Numbskulls will more than likely be drifting off astern, or lying on the dock moaning.

 

I like the idea of setting up a moc deck house and walk

Ill try it as soon as my back is better

thanks for the info Mark

I had planned on 1' so Ill try that first and see how well it works

there is a nice beefy rail 2' high (not shown in the drawing ) going round the whole lower deck area so that will help

 

Mark says of Homer Alaska:

We pulled into the marina at a little village in Alaska. Walked up the ramp, and someone said, "Um, the gun store is that building on your right as you go into town..." This was repeated by the next person I saw walking along. And the next... So we went into the gun shop. They showed me the biggest pistols I have ever seen: like 50 caliber or something. HUGE. What you need for the bears!

Later that night, some locals told us many a tale of how crucial guns are in Grizzly (Brown Bear) territory.

 

my plan is to hang in the inside passage between Ketchikan and Seattle

Im trying to recalculate things for an 18" walk at the wheel house tapering down to 8" at the transom

I want to be able to run for to aft in a pinch relatively unencumbered and with plenty to hold on to

Ill do a mock up and try it out

the railing is going to be interesting at 2' high running straight back from the line of the raised deck

next dumb question is in a house a rail 38~42" is standard but on a boat it looks like its all over the place with no standards at all

on a boat for day charter whats the prescribed height
not that this thing is for charter but I want to keep my options open

as far as hand guns go I prefer a riffle but I used to have a 44 mag for guiding in the park
slug chuckers are for patsies
I used to carry as a guide in Yellowstone but the Yellowstone bears are actually pretty habituated to humans and tend to be react with relative indifference
I have bumped into bears outside the park on numerous occasions and its like dealing with an entirely different animal

a 44 mag is my preferred hand gun in bear country
loads are varied and cheap
so you can practice and have your friends practice until proficient without spending a fortune on ammunition
also wont wear out your hand that way
then load up for bear when you head out

I've never had to take a shot at one but its been close

I've been charged and Ive been followed before and its dam uncomfortable when a bear is practicing getting close to you

hell I even have pictures of a big boar following me back to my car in Yellowstone one day just a few years ago
and that was a friendly bear
he just smelled fish on me
I'd been fishing

thanks again folks
as usual spectacular input
cheers
B

I need one or two good sales at the biz and I can throw in the Locust for the hull material

ps
nice looking work Oyster
keep us posted

 

15 inches minimum. Less is no good. Sorry about that.
Daniel

 

Classy looking boat there Boston !

How many cats are there and are they going to be moddeling

 

Lmao
all right, who let you in here?

 

Bos. I don't know anything about six pacs other than, it seems, anything goes - Insurance underwriters might think different. As all things government, the CFRs state something like "railing shall be at minumum 40" with a horizontal course at no more than 1' intervals, UNLESS it is demonstrated that 40" interferes with operations, then railing of 30" is sufficient, HOWEVER, all other railing shall be a minimum of 36"" - I am not kidding! In practical use, all tour boats have 40", all fishing boats have 36", NO boats have 30" that any inspector I know would allow. Mind you, this is for carrying more than six passengers. Lower rails are much stouter and don't encourage leaners to tweek your rail. If I may encourage you to really think thru your rail and don't slap it on as an afterthot. Find a way to not penetrate the deck with the stantion base screws, if you can. 1 1/4" rail is much stiffer than 1", even if only .065 (.063) stainless. 1 1/2" probably will look too beefy on your boat. The higher up you can carry the hull sides, thus gunnels, the better - easier to make it beefy than it is railing. There is a British company that will bend oval section to your patterns - Beautiful and stiff but I can't remember the name. Your boat looks like it could use wood for a top rail but I would encourage you to have a piece of flat bar to mount the wood to (it can eb hidden in a recess under). Skinny stantions will look more traditional but not be as good. All welds need to be done on a bench, indoors, by a pro (tig). I can burn holes and splatter slag with the best of 'em, too, BUT DON'T DO IT! Hire Railmakers in Everett or some pro in Florida - Somebody who does this all the time.
I don't know why I just bothered - you're just in the planning stage, right? I am a hellava nice guy.

 

ah you been dam helpful and I always appreciate it

hmmmm
sounds like I should go 40 inches
its not really any form of design compromise and it keeps me in the regs for the rat ******** at the insurance companies

stanchion spacing would be the next dumb question
Small enough to prevent a 4" sphere from passing through is typical on a home but once again it might not be close on a boat

making the rail is no big deal
Ive done hundreds of em and most of them customs at that
so I have that covered

thanks
B

 

If you will fish, I have to say 36" is much nicer. No stanchion spacing requirement but inspectors will try to move the railing - some inspectors will try hard! I forgot how to spell "stanchion" but your way looks much better... just a sec...yes. Are you really thinking of carrying more than six? There's another loophole...if you can get it admeasured at 100 tons, you can then carry twelve without dealing with the Coast Guard. Another tangent... for a novice, having the CG tell you what to do is a good thing, them in their coveralls, clipboard and regs in hand, cell phone to call their CO when they don't know something... but, BELIEVE ME, it grows very tiresome to have, yet another, kid out of Nebraska try to go thru the book and decide I need nine more square inches of freeing port area, a guard over my shaft coupling, AUTOMATIC (retarded!) engine shut-down for fire, a metal trash can w/lid, no wing-nuts on batteries, five 2 1/2 gal. buckets stenciled in 2" high block letters "Fire", and a 2/3 full alarm on holding tank, etc., ad nauseam.
I would just carry six passengers in a heartbeat, if I could afford to. Let's put it this way - The CG auxilliary was conducting courtesy examinations of boats today for a big tournament tomorrow - fifteen minutes, including passing out safety pamphlets, start to finish.
It is perfectly acceptable to kill six passengers but that seventh - he's expensive!

 

well its primarily a home but if the situation arises that I could take some couple out to see a few sites then I'd like to be able to take advantage of a possible income source.
on that boat
definitely no more than six
and again you are absolutely right
and I forgot ( bite my tongue ) about fishing
I love fishing what was I thinking

that last bit about the seventh was funny as all hell Mark
lets see if this thing let me spot you a few for that one
I still dying over here
(nope)

 

making the rail is no big deal
Ive done hundreds of em and most of them customs at that
so I have that covered



A valve or two will allow the rail to be heated with engine coolant , always nice if you fish.

FF